Sightseeing
by Firebird
Summary: Alfons drags Ed out of the apartment for a date.


Title: Sightseeing  
Author: Firebird  
Pairing: Ed/Alfons  
Word Count: 1175  
Warning/Notes/Disclaimer: Characters are not mine and I am not making any money off this. However, they _do_ belong to Hiromu Arakawa/Square ENIX, MBS, ANX, BONES, FUNimation Productions, Ltd.

"I think I should start helping with paying the rent. It's not really fair to you to be the only one paying for things."

Alfons blinked at Ed. "What brought this on?"

Ed waved the letter from his father at Alfons with one hand and clutched the envelope in the other. "My father sending me money is 'what brought this on'. You're always telling me to just spend it on whatever and not worry about rent and that you'd take care of it but..."

Alfons blinked. "Well, I suppose we could always split it if you feel that stro--"

Ed plowed on before Alfons quite finished. "Also I don't think it's fair to Frau Gracia to be getting rent for just one occupant even though there's me now as well--"

"Edward!" Alfons interrupted. Edward shut up.

"We can talk about this with her later. Since it involves her. But ja, I agree that you should contribute to paying for a few things. Such as your share of the food."

Ed looked guilty. Alfons continued in a deadpan tone of voice. "And while I'm aware that it will be a hardship for you to learn how to figure out what's worthwhile to buy and bring home and what's not..." Now Ed wrinkled his nose at him.

"I'm not _that_ bad," he grumbled. Alfons just shook his head before looking at the time.

"Damn. We can talk about this later. I have plans for today."

Ed perked up. "Oh, like what? Did you think of a new design that you wanted to try out?"

Alfons started shaking his head no before Ed had finished. "Nothing of the sort. These plans involved spending the day out sightseeing with my relatively new boyfriend before we both go nuts from too much staring at blueprints and books and who knows what all."

Ed blinked at Alfons before getting up to feel Alfons' forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

Alfons grabbed Ed's wrist and pulled him out of the apartment. "I'm fine and it'll be fun. Really."

"But I've lived here before," Ed protested. "Why would I need to go sightseeing?"

Alfons looked over his shoulder at Ed with a raised eyebrow as he locked the door. "You lived in this exact part of the city? And for how long?"

"Not this part, no. And uh, a couple of months I think?"

Alfons rolled his eyes. "So it looks like this also gets to serve as a chance to make sure you can find your way around this area of it without getting lost, as well. So we'll be doing something useful at the same time!"

Ed looked cranky. "I do _not_ 'get lost'. I just... lose track of where I am."

"Most people define that as 'getting lost', Edward," Alfons noted dryly, steering Ed down the stairs.

Ed pouted. Alfons resisted the urge to kiss it away, because, well, while they weren't out in public yet, they weren't in the apartment either. Also, it was early enough in the relationship that Ed still got embarrassed by random displays of affection and he didn't want to cart around a blushing boyfriend.

* * *

In the end, Alfons had to drag Ed out of a museum. "I hadn't finished looking at that one display yet," Ed complained.

"While it's very nice that you took such an interest in that particular area of history," Alfons grunted. "If we don't eat soon, my stomach will stage a revolt. The building will still be there later, Edward. And will probably continue to be there long after we're gone. We _can_ come back, you know."

"But--"

"There are also these buildings called 'libraries' full of these wonderful inventions called 'books'. Try visiting one sometime if you want to read further on the subject."

Ed gave Alfons a withering look that left him completely unruffled. "Oh, here it is."

"Here is what?" Ed asked, peering around at the crowds.

"Someplace Officer Hughes reccomended for in case I ever got around to taking a break from working and went wandering the city. And ja, it _is_ someplace we can afford to eat at, Edward. I made a point of asking him what the food cost."

Ed closed his mouth, question answered before it was asked.

* * *

It was early evening by the time they got back to the apartment. By that point, it was Ed that was charging around wanting to look at things--mostly old buildings--and Alfons that was dragging his feet.

"You are exhausting," he complained, staring blankly at the door until he remembered which way to turn the key so they could get in.

"Hey, it was your idea to go looking around taking in the sights," Ed pointed out with a grin, locking the door behind them after they went in.

"I had a slightly more human pace in mind though. You can't actually have absorbed everything you saw..?" Alfons flopped down onto the couch, leaving enough space for Ed to sit down, hoping he'd take the hint.

Ed shrugged. "Most of it. Had to be able to take note of my surroundings back home to survive in places." A shadow crossed Ed's face and cleared so quickly that Alfons thought he'd imagined it.

Ed wandered around the room as he talked. "Didn't really stay in any one place for long. My, uh, work didn't really permit it. Had to get the job done, head back to give my report, and get the next assignment, and why am I telling you this yet again?" He finally flopped down on the couch when Alfons was getting about ready to reach out and yank Ed into his lap on the next pass.

"I have no idea," Alfons responded, rearranging Ed so that he was turned sideways with his legs stretching across his lap and off the end of the couch. "And you never have been clear as to just what you did."

Ed looked uncomfortable. Alfons wasn't sure if it was due to his wanting clarification or the positioning. "It was... military type stuff mostly. With a number of side trips of my own tossed in."

"Ah." He pulled Ed closer. Ed frowned slightly but let him. Alfons lightly ran the fingers of his left hand along the curve of Ed's right ear. Ed closed his eyes and leaned against his hand. Encouraged, Alfons moved on to brushing his fingers against the side of Ed's neck, before circling them around to the back of his neck, keeping his touches feather light. Ed's eyes snapped open as he arched back into the touch, then stared at Alfons with a betrayed look on his face when Alfons removed his hand.

"I was _enjoying_ that," he huffed out.

"So you were. And I was enjoying watching you. But you were leaning in entirely the wrong direction," Alfons murmured before yanking Ed fully into his lap, sliding his arm around behind Ed's back to both support him and press him closer to himself. Ed "oh"ed and tilted his face up, lips parted. Alfons didn't need to be invited twice.


End file.
